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A New, Slimmer Chocolate--Made With Fruit Juice

One of the problems with so-called "diet" chocolates is the mouthfeel--the stuff just doesn't feel like the real deal. Could this new kind of chocolate with half the fat revolutionize the cocoa industry?

Sure. This is a totally normal way to eat chocolate.

Chemists from the University of Warwick in England say they have discovered a way to replace half of the fat in chocolate with teensy droplets of fruit juice. Using a process called a Pickering emulsion, they infused the microscopic drops of orange and cranberry juice into milk, dark, and white chocolate. The process prevents the droplets from combining with each other into bigger drops, and--this is key--keeps the remaining fat intact.

“It’s the fat that gives chocolate all the indulgent sensations that people crave--the silky smooth texture and the way it melts in the mouth but still has a ‘snap’ to it when you break it with your hand," says Dr. Stefan Bon, the study's lead author. “We’ve found a way to maintain all of those things that make chocolate ‘chocolatey’ but with fruit juice instead of fat."

The end result--which the scientists say will likely have a little bit of a fruity taste to it (though it could be de-fruit-enized by substituting water and a little ascorbic acid instead of fruit juice)--isn't yet on shelves.